Born, Orphaned and Abandoned in an Auction Yard. Our NOVEMBER BUCKET FUND: AUTUMN

Oy.

This story is very sad… but could end well. The jury is still out.

HOW IT ALL STARTED

It started with a pathetic human horse breeder who abandoned his pregnant, sickly, emaciated mare at an auction yard in Washington state last Thursday.

The auction workers didn’t see the truck come or go, but they did notice a very, very thin and sick horse in their yard. They had no idea that she was pregnant.

THE NEXT MORNING

Imagine their surprise when the auction yard employees found a baby in the pen with the body of the emaciated and now deceased mare.

Let me say that again… There was a foal inside of the sickly, emaciated mare who was dumped at the lot and DIED after giving birth to this poor foal who was alive – standing there – next to her dead dam, born at some point in the cold dampness of a dismal auction yard pen.

Happy birthday, baby.

She was crashing. The Vet from Rainland Farms determined it was time to take her to Emergency.

BUT WAIT, IT GETS BETTER.

No one at the auction yard knew when the foal was born or what to do with her. So they called Animal Control. Twelve hours after discovering the baby, Animal Control arrived.

Baby still hadn’t been treated or fed.

Animal Control wasn’t sure what to do so they called the Whatcom County Humane Society. The Whatcom County Humane Society was the first entity to feed the filly approximately 18 hours after she was discovered.

All this time, the tiny girl was standing and walking. She was eager to finally drink milk replacer. But, understandably, she was weak.

Obviously, the mare had given everything she had to this baby before she died…

Autumn snuggled in several blankets in the back seat of the truck on the way to the hospital

AND THEN

Realizing that they were in over their heads, the Whatome County Humane Society called HOPE FOR HORSES who rushed to the scene. Within two hours, they had the foal on plasma (it was determined that the foal had not had any colostrum), IV fluids and all the possible remedies known via their vets at Rainland Farms. Hope for Horses named her Autumn and she quickly became the darling of the ‘vet and volunteer’ manned 24-hour foalwatch regimen set up in her stall.

But, it wasn’t enough. All the King’s horses and all the King’s men…

This morning she crashed.

Autumn standing again and rallying in the hospital.

BUT THIS MORNING… NOT GOOD.

This morning, Autumn quit eating and drinking. Her eyes were dull. She was dehydrated. They were losing her.

HOPE FOR HORSES raced their girl to the nearest equine hospital where sitting in wait were a crush of doctors anticipating her arrival. They set her up with a huge IV stream, administered every possible aid, took every test, gave her all the baby boosters available and then sat back and watched.

The specialists are keeping her in the hospital, but they think she will pull through. She is rallying. She’s a tough little filly.

Stabilized and alert at the hospital. Please help her - in the name of her dam

I WANT TO DO THIS FOR THE DAM.

OK, I don’t know about you, but the idea of abandoning a sick, skinny, almost dead pregnant mare ON HER FOALING DATE in a disgusting (sorry) auction yard and then driving away – just makes my blood boil.

AAAARRRGHHHHHHH. I’M SO ANGRY ABOUT THAT.

How in the bleep does anyone do that? How can they breed their mare, not feed her and then wait until the very last moment to dump her so she could foal alone and then die – alone.

I WANT THE DAM TO BE VINDICATED. I want those twit former owners to have foiled in their attempt to kill this baby. I want this little filly to not ever have the awful and lonely life of her dam. I want that dam to not have died in vain. I want the baby to live – in health.

The November Bucket Fund is for Autumn and her nameless, faceless dam who gave her life to create a life. Any small amount will add up in the Bucket. THANK YOU, for helping this baby and her angel dam.